Daniel 6:16-27
16 So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.”
17 A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel. 18 Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.
19 Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. 20 When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?”
21 Daniel answered, “Long live the king! 22 My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”
23 The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.
24 Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den.
25 Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world:
“Peace and prosperity to you!
26 “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel.
For he is the living God,
and he will endure forever.
His kingdom will never be destroyed,
and his rule will never end.
27 He rescues and saves his people;
he performs miraculous signs and wonders
in the heavens and on earth.
He has rescued Daniel
from the power of the lions.”
Trust. Five little letters that are so hard to do when it really counts. We trust our bus drivers to get us to school safely, trust our parents and guardian to give us food to eat and clothes to wear. We even trust that our teachers know what they are talking about and will teach us what we need to know. But truly trusting God is a little harder because…well, we can’t see God. We follow God’s word,try to be obedient and pray and then we have to TRUST that our God whom we cannot see will come through for us in our time of need.
Although we cannot see God as we see our friends and family, we can know and trust God because of these stories like this one about Daniel. In Daniel’s story, some important people in the government are angry because the king trusts Daniel more than the king trusts them and the king gives Daniel really important jobs to do. You see Daniel had trusted and followed God all of his life. From the food he ate, to the time he gave God in prayer, Daniel’s life was lived in service to God. And when Daniel served God, he was blessed and people noticed it because he was successful in the things that he was given to do. The only thing that Daniel wasn’t successful in was worshipping anyone or anything other than the God of Israel.
And when Daniel refused to stop praying and worship the king instead, it got him in trouble. Actually it God him thrown into a pit with a family of lions. But Daniel trusted in God and God came through for him. God locked the jaws and calmed the paws of the lions during Daniels night in their family den and in the morning, when the king saw that Daniel was still alive, Daniel’s trust in God was proven to be right before and whole kingdom of people. The king would now worship with Daniel rather than being worshipped himself.
Even though we can’t see God we can trust that he is there because Jesus told us “be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” There is something in life that is just too big, to wonderful, to powerful to be seen by our two little eyes and that is God. So we trust that Jesus is not a liar and He really is with us and he really will come through for us in our time of need just like he did for Daniel. Walk by faith and not by sight.
Discussion Questions:
1. Why do you think it is hard to just trust God sometimes?
2. What does it mean to “walk by faith and not by sight?
Family Activity: Color your ornament for day 18. Talk about ways that you know God is near even when you can’t see God with your eyes.
Prayer for the World: Pray for Pastor Steven who shepherds a local Baptist congregation. He’s a respected leader on the associational level. Pray that he’ll catch a vision for Great Commission work that facilitates rather than hinders the planting of new congregations.
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